Make a creamy comfort-food dish you can feel good about digging in to from the South Beach Diet Super Quick Cookbook

Here's a satisfying pasta dish that's not all about the pasta. Pinto beans provide nutritious fiber. For a boost of beta-carotene, look for orange cauliflower at your market. Chickpea flour is used to thicken the sauce; it is lighter and more flavorful than wheat flour.

1. Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions.

2. Add the cauliflower for last 5 minutes of cooking time.

3. Drain the pasta and cauliflower well and transfer to a serving bowl. Stir in the beans.

4. Start the Cheddar cheese sauce as soon as you add the pasta to the boiling water: In a small saucepan, stir 1/4 cup of the milk into the chickpea flour. Stir in the remaining 3/4 cup milk and the mustard. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring often. Add the cheese in handfuls, stirring to melt each batch.

5.Season to taste with salt and pepper.

6.Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta mixture and toss to coat. Garnish with fresh chives if you like.

Tip: To make your own chickpea flour, rinse and drain canned chickpeas. Spread out on a baking sheet and leave out overnight to dry thoroughly. Process in a food processor until finely ground. Pass through a strainer and reprocess any lumps. Store in a resealable plastic bag in the freezer.